SAN ANTONIO - The U.S. Army All-American Bowl Selection Committee has narrowed down their nominees to seven finalists for the prestigious 2010 U.S. Army Player of the Year Award. The U.S. Army Player of the Year Award is given to the nation's most outstanding senior high school football player. The U.S. Army Player of the Year will be crowned during the U.S. Army Awards Dinner on Friday, January 9, 2010, in San Antonio. The winner will be presented with the Ken Hall Trophy, modeled after Ken "Sugar Land Express" Hall, high school football's all-time leading rusher.

THE FINALISTS

Nominees were evaluated by coaches from around the country and the U.S. Army All-American Bowl Selection Committee. The seven finalists for the 2010 U.S. Army Player of the Year Award are (in alphabetical order):

"Every U.S. Army All-American reflects the characteristics found in the Army Strong Soldier and possesses a mental, emotional and physical strength like no other," said Col. Derik Crotts, Director, Marketing and Outreach, U.S. Army Accessions Command. "These finalists have distinguished themselves even further through their on-field leadership. We are proud to recognize them as U.S. Army Player of the Year Award finalists."

The selection process began this fall as players were evaluated by the U.S. Army All-American Bowl Selection Committee and by coaches from around the country. Past U.S. Army Player of the Year winners include: 2001-Kevin Jones (Chicago Bears); 2002-Lorenzo Booker (Miami Dolphins); 2003-Chris Leak (Montreal Alouettes); 2004-Adrian Peterson (Minnesota Vikings); 2005-Ryan Perrilloux (Jacksonville State); 2006-Mitch Mustain (USC); 2007-Jimmy Clausen (Notre Dame), 2008-Terrelle Pryor (Ohio State), and 2009-Bryce Brown (Tennessee).

The U.S. Army All-American Bowl, celebrating its 10th anniversary, is the nation's premier high school football game, serving as the preeminent launching pad for America's future college and NFL stars. Adrian Peterson, Reggie Bush, Mark Sanchez, Vince Young, and Tim Tebow all made their national debuts as U.S. Army All-Americans. Last year the U.S. Army All-American Bowl drew more than 32,000 fans to the game at the Alamodome along with being the most watched sporting event on television over the weekend, besides the NFL Playoffs.